The present invention relates to absorbent articles adapted to be worn in an undergarment to absorb body fluids and include articles such as a sanitary napkin, panty liner or incontinence pad.
Conventionally, sanitary napkins have two basic configurations, which are described below.
A first configuration comprises sanitary napkins without side flaps for additional fixation. Sanitary napkins without flaps are discreet and may be worn with bathing costumes, skirts, sports shorts or other women""s garments, without other people noticing that the user is wearing the sanitary napkin. However, the lack of additional fixation provided by the side flaps may allow the napkin to move with respect to the undergarment of the wearer, which might cause discomfort and leakage of menstrual flow, a situation that brings special discomfort to the wearer.
This possibility of the sanitary napkin moving is especially critical when the woman is practicing sports or other activities that cause constant movement of her legs. The drawbacks cited above cause the sanitary napkins without flaps to have limited acceptance by the consumer market.
A second configuration comprises sanitary napkins provided with side flaps for additional fixation. Conventional sanitary napkins are formed of an opaque and/or non-transparent materials which mask the presence of any absorbed fluids such as blood. The flaps are flexible and adapted to be folded over the crotch portion of a user""s undergarment in use. The flaps are generally provided with an adhesive on a garment faceable surface of the flaps, which brings about correct and safe fixation, thus freeing the wearer of the above-cited drawbacks. However, since the flaps are made of an opaque material, they remain visible, especially if the wearer is wearing skirts or a bathing costume such as a bathing suit or bikinis. This situation of potential discomfort in turn causes limited acceptance of this sanitary napkin by the market.
Therefore, until the present invention was made, women wearing bathing suits, sports clothes or skirts, would have to choose between a discreet sanitary napkin, but not providing due protection against leakage of menstrual flow, or a sanitary napkin that could protect but was not discreet, which would allow other people to notice that the woman was wearing it.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a sanitary napkin that has good adherence and fixation to the undergarment of the wearer, while being discreet enough not to be noticed, even if the it is worn in conjunction with bathing suits, sports shorts, skirts or other women""s garments.
In accordance with the present invention, there has been provided a sanitary napkin comprising a substantially planar and elongate main body having two longitudinally extending side edges. The main body includes a garment faceable outer layer of an impermeable material, a body faceable inner layer of a liquid permeable material and an absorbent core inserted into the body between the outer layer and the inner layer. The sanitary napkin further includes at least one substantially protuberant flexible flap, substantially projecting outwards from each longitudinal side edge of the main body of the sanitary napkin being wherein the flap portion is substantially transparent and/or translucent.